Not shying away from accepting the criticism following the heavy loss in the second Test, an under-fire Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim urged to get the opportunity to correct his mistakes.
Under Mushfiqur, Bangladesh defeated the likes of England, Sri Lanka and Australia in Tests in the last couple of years but they got thoroughly outplayed in both the Tests by South Africa. The Asian country lost the first game by 333 runs before being thrashed by an innings and 253 runs in the second match, on Sunday (October 8). After being enforced to follow on, Bangladesh could manage only 172 runs in their second innings. After the defeat, rumours were suggesting that Mushfiqur would step down as Test captain, but the 30-year old made it clear he is ready to take the challenging road that lies ahead.
“The blame is coming at me because I decided to field first in both Tests. Maybe I haven’t been leading properly, and that’s why the team isn’t doing well,” Mushfiqur said after the loss. “This is why I am saying that I should be given an opportunity to correct my mistakes.”
The skipper further said he would not resign from his post and left it up to the board to decide his future.
“Why should I [resign], because it is not an individual’s game. It is a team game. Obviously, all the blame comes to me being the captain. The board will decide about me since there’s a lot of time before the next Test series,” he said.
“It is up to the board. They gave me the honour and opportunity. They gave me the respect to lead the side. I tried my level best with honesty. If they are not satisfied, they will take their decision. I only tried to describe what happened in the middle. I was being honest with myself. If someone is not happy with my comment, they have all the right to decide what they want to do with the team and myself,” he added.
He also bemoaned the absence of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal. While Shakib has taken a break from Tests, Iqbal missed the second game due to a thigh injury.
“Two of our best players didn’t play this game, so it was a setback for the batting unit. There are a couple of guys who aren’t sure if they will play the next Test. Most sub-continent teams struggle in South Africa, to be honest. It was difficult for us. We had a great opportunity to play well as I believed that everyone was capable. We didn’t play up to our capability, which has disappointed me,” he said.